sandy's aftermath. dozens dead. millions without power. billions of dollars in damage. the storm is gone but its effects linger. >> i'll help you get it all together. all right? i promise. i promise. you're is going to be okay. >> the process of cleaning up begins as residents along the battered coast try to get their lives back to normal. >> we feel for everybody here because we are everybody here. >> sandy muting the presidential race the candidates look to turn up the heat in the final days to the election. this is the "cbs morning news" for thursday, november 1, 2012. good morning. good to be with you. i'm terrell brown. recovery is slow going for millions of people affected by sandy and the superstorm is not done yet.

storm remnants triggered flood watch warnings from northern new england and mid-atlantic states. winter storm warnings for central appalachians and flooding advisories across the lower great lakes. 74 people have been killed by the mega storm at one point. 60 million people were without power. it's fallen to 40 million people. and 6 million homes and businesses. and back up batteries and generators are failing knocking out one in five cell phone towers. here's a timeline video of how some 650,000 new yorkers lost power. the storm rolled in. you see the freedom tower on the right. night falls. the substation explodes. lower manhattan is plunged into darkness. mayor bloomberg said could it be days before power is restored. >> reporter: good morning. i'm standing in front of the entrance to new york's fdr drive. this is one of the areas that

remains flooded after the storm. down at the jersey shore the devastation is even worse. president obama visited new jersey to see firsthand the damage from superstorm sandy. the president and governor chris christie flew in marine one to see the devastation. what they saw were homes destroyed and streets still under water. president obama promised the government would do whatever it can to help storm victims. >> we'll follow up to make sure you get all the help you need until you rebuild. >> reporter: not far away the search for traps or missing people on staten island continued. nypd rescued six people from roof troops on wednesday. there are signs of life is returning to normal in new york city. all three airports are open as of today as is the new york stock exchange and broadway shows. problems still persist. traffic in the city is nothing short of a nightmare without public transportation wednesday manhattan streets were clogged with people trying to get back

to work. there's some good news. subway and train service is starting up again today at least on a limited basis. >> i am declaring a transportation emergency. >> reporter: mayor bloomberg is mandating that all cars driving into manhattan has to have at least three people. >> i know it is inconvenient for a lot of people but the streets can only handle so much. >> reporter: half of all gas stations in the area are closed. the result, long lines. >> hundreds of cars here trying to get gas. >> reporter: analysts say it could get another week to get all the gas stations back up and running. lack of power continues to be a problem in this area of manhattan. officials say, though, that people in manhattan may see the lights go back on as early as tomorrow or saturday. in other parts of the city it could take a week. >> the massive storm surge may have taken two little boys on staten island. about two dozen searchers went

looking for them wednesday. police said their mother was driving monday night during the storm and the rising water stalled her suv. she got out with her 2 and 4-year-old sons and the floodwaters swept them away. she reportedly survived by hanging on to a tree. storm damage forced another hospital here in new york to be evacuated. ambulances evacuated patients from bellevue hospital. after the fuel pumps for the back up generators failed. bellevue is the city's flagship hospital. >> heartbreak for dozens of residents of the breezy point community in queens. they returned to their neighborhood wednesday to see most of it had been consumed by flame. a raging fire fueled by sandy's winds took more than 100 homes and the homes that didn't burn were severely damaged by the floodwaters. scott pelley toured the damage. >> reporter: let's show you what breezy point looked like before, rows of houses a block or two from the beach.

this is what the neighborhood looks like now. governor andrew cuomo walked the ground today and heard remarkable stories of heroism. the fire started about 11:00 when the hurricane was at its height. by the time firefighters made their way here, water pipes were bursting. and there was little pressure in the hydrants. they laid hoses in the rising water and used the flood to fight the fire. assistant chief is the incident commander. what did it took like? >> like a blow torch. fire, flames shooting up in the air 100 feet and moving quickly to the west driven by the hurricane. >> winds of something like 80 miles per hour blowing this fire. >> exactly. the winds coming off the ocean, very intense flames blowing from the southeast. we had two fronts of fire we had to deal with. >> when it comes to residential fires in new york city, where

does this one rank? >> as far as i know unless you want to go back into the 1800s this is probably the biggest private residential fire that was had at least in modern times. >> the biggest one in new york city in modern times. how many houses destroyed? >> 111 houses, totally destroyed by fire and 20 that received substantial damage from the fire. >> that was scott pelley reporting. after effects of sandy is being felt in parts of the midwest. flood warnings are being reported in ohio. flood waters are receding and residents are getting relief but more rain is in the forecast for today. schools are closed and 150,000 homes and businesses still have no power. >> residents across western north carolina are trying to dig out after three days of snow. some areas got as much as two feet with drifts four feet deep. the governor declared a state of emergency for 24 mountain counties but the ski resorts are loving this. one opened up on halloween the

earliest opening ever a silver lining in this case. >> the u.s. has never experienced such a wide scale natural disaster this close to election day. both candidates had to temper their message in the wake of the storm but that could change today with five days left president obama goes back on the campaign trail with events in wisconsin, nevada and colorado. governor romney arrives in virginia a day after an event in another battleground state. >> mitt romney campaigned in florida wednesday but during his three rallies he never once mentioned president obama by name. >> i understand what it takes to get this country going again. and to bring back the kind of greatness we depend on. >> he refrained from an all out attack on the president who was visiting with disaster victims in new jersey. instead romney made his own pitch to help those affected by the storm. >> if you have the ability to help please provide some resources to people there and give calls to your loved ones and keep folks in your thoughts and prayers. it's a big part of what america is. >> the romney campaign ended up back pedalling wednesday over

remarks he made about disaster relief funding. at a republican primary debate last year romney down played the federal government's role in disaster response. >> every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states that's the right direction. it can go further and send it back to the private sector that's even better. >> with the campaign in its final days and superstorm sandy dominating the headlines, it could pounce for the president's campaign. >> it's tailor made for a campaign ad even though politics have been off the table the last several days i wouldn't be surprised to see an outside group on the democratic side come out and say if not directly the obama campaign itself. >> on wednesday romney issue ad statement in which he said fema played a key role during times of disaster. as president i will ensure fema has the funding it need to fulfill its mission while directing maximum resources to

the first responders who work tirelessly to help those in need because states and localities are in the best position to get aid to the individuals and communities affected by natural disaster. >> the rhetoric between the two candidates have been toned down that wasn't the case for their running mates. vice president biden accused the romney campaign of lying. it implies the auto bailout is sending u.s. jobs overseas. at a campaign stop paul ryan said the ad was inaccurate. up next on a thursday morning a closer look at some of the damage sandy left behind along the jersey shore. this is the "cbs morning news." do you want to go into space, george? you will have to be very brave. hi, grandma!

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not the time or place. the shore is the driving force behind new jersey's $35.5 million a year tourism industry. hurricane sandy hit it head on. now beginning to get a closer look at the damage left behind jeff glor has more now from atlantic city. >> reporter: sophia chose to ride out the storm a decision she now regrets. >> this is scary. scary not to know if the water would come over. i literally thought the ocean would come in to my home. >> reporter: it didn't but a 50-foot section of the atlantic city boardwalk landed in her garage. >> i saw the boardwalk float down the street. i never new the destination was here. >> reporter: in your garage. a short drive away parts of pleasantville, new jersey was left in shambles after being battered with wind gusts over 70 miles per hour and a tidal surge

that tore people's homes apart. jackie has left here for 22 years. >> when i left everything was in intact. i came back yesterday morning -- this is -- >> reporter: most of the water has receded. now the cleanup begins. >> get my mother's picture. >> reporter: her family helped her pick up the mess left behind. >> i'm going out of this property in a box. i assure you of that. i'm not leaving. >> reporter: she wants to rebuild. her daughter said that's very difficult. >> everything she has is here and it's practically all gone, all gone. she doesn't have anything. >> reporter: officials caution they are still a long way from deciding who can rebuild. the more immediate concern is getting the power back. as of wednesday evening 60,000 remain without it in atlantic county. in atlantic city, i'm jeff glor, cbs news. as the u.s. begins to assess sandy's damage to our caribbean

nation, sandy killed 71 people in haiti. the storm didn't make a direct hit but brought days of heavy rain. flooding much of the country's crops. 21 people are still missing. up next, your thursday morning weather and tall stories. we'll hear from the men who had to secure a run away crane atop a new york city high rise. away crane atop a new york city high rise.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. increasing clouds in new york, 53 degrees.

mostly sunny in miami, 80. mostly sunny in chicago, 51 degrees. sunny in dallas, 84. sun and clouds in l.a., 70 degrees. let's check your national forecast. the remnants of sandy are now in canada but expect scattered rain, snow showers and strong breezes in mid-atlantic and parts of virginia. rain and snow showers will linger in michigan and ohio. rest of the midwest remains dry. out west the storm brings inland bringing showers to the northwest. and parts of the rockies and california. the southwest stays dry. here in new york a crane that snapped from sandy's high winds continues to dangle more than 70 stories up. it is right down the street from this building. john miller spoke with two city engineers who took on the dangerous task of making sure the crane doesn't fall to the street below. >> reporter: during the storm that snapped the boom off the crane with winds gusting through and swinging the hanging boom back and forth two new york city

building department engineers had to get to the top of the building and answer the question would the boom hold or come crashing down? for most of the long climb the only way up was the stairs. >> i've never heard anything as loud as wind howling in my life as we got to the 48th floor and you have to apply so much pressure to open the door. i was with him. we got into the hallway and you could almost get sucked right out. >> reporter: michael and timothy had to check each of the structural braces that held the tower with the crane on top the side of the building. >> we were concerned about the upper most part. if that tie had failed that means the mast could fall. 1,000-foot mast. >> reporter: if the climb up was perilous it was nothing once you got out on the roof.

>> you are tied to a rope. you're trying to get as close to the edge of the roof, a place where no normal person wants to be. >> i'm looking for information. i know i'm tied off. once you know you're tethered i'm okay. you start looking around and start doing real work. it does make your heart beat. >> john miller reporting. a bizarre discovery in the wake of hurricane sandy. historic oak tree toppled in new haven, connecticut it revealed a skeleton that dates back to the colonial era. the remains likely belong to one of thousands buried in the area from the 1800s. a medical examiner will evaluate the remains. then what do you do with it? what do you do with a bunch of old bones? when we come back another look at this morning's top stories and smugglers stop. a jeep hits a snag at the top of a border fence. ce.

accidents overnight... inclg two kids hit while out trick-or-treating with their

parents,. plus: it worked once, can it happen again? san francisco police are asking for the publics help. who torched a muni bus during the world ss celebrations. and a new threat from sandy. the fear of fires and explosions. how rescue operations are transitioning into recovery. join us for cbs 5 eyewitness news this morning... beginng at 4:30. good morning. it's ,,,, here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. in d.c., clouds and sun, 57 degrees.

atlanta sunny, 62. mostly sunny in st. louis, 64. sunny in denver, 75. clouds and showers in seattle, 57 degrees. top stories now on a thursday. the death toll from sandy reached 74 people. life is slowly returning to normal. limited flights have resumed. new york stock exchange is open and lights are back on broadway. after touring the storm damage with chris christie president obama hits the campaign trail traveling to three states and mitt romney starts a rally in virginia. a company tied to the massachusetts pharmacy linked to the meningitis outbreak has announced a major recall. ameridose is recalling its products from pain killers to blood thinners. tainted steroids have been

connected to the meningitis outbreak that's killed 29 people. smugglers from mexico tried an unusual approach to getting the goods over the border. they tried to drive their jeep cherokee over the top of the 14-foot fence in southeast california using a makeshift ramp. agents on patrol came across the jeep just as it got stuck. two people trying to free it fled back into mexico when agents got there. they tried. the streets of san francisco were awash in orange and black not for halloween but to salute the baseball giants. tens of gathered for the victory parade on wednesday. fans carried brooms. guess why, by the way? to represent san francisco's four game sweep of the tigers. i didn't immediately think that. is that just me? i was thinking witches and halloween. cool. good to see. coming up after your local news on cbs this morning the latest on recovery efforts from hurricane sandy. i'm terrell brown. this is your morning news. sandy.

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as we mentioned earlier hurricane sandy is blamed for one of the worst fires in new york city history. 111 homes were burned in breezy point, new york. michelle miller saw firsthand the devastation left by fire and spoke to one woman who lost nearly everything. >> reporter: in the middle of dust and ashes we found a pair of flipflops worn by a 71-year-old widow. marie laprisi was digging through what's left of 7 gotham lane her home of 74 years. >> what are you hoping to find? >> pictures. >> reporter: when the flames started late monday night laprisi was in her house with two neighbors, fellow widows

kathy brennan and elaine. >> we thought we could fight it. the water came aboard. we had everything we owned. but then the fire started coming and we couldn't fight that. >> reporter: they sought refuge in a neighbor's house. when that caught fire they fled to another. this is what's left of the first home. this was the second. all lost. they finally found refuge at a church. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: every few minutes a neighbor greeted her with a hug. the community spirit is strong. like most of her neighbors here, laprisi says she's not going anywhere. >> i want to be here. >> why do you want to stay here? >> because i belong in breezy. this is our community. >> reporter: laprisi continues to dig through the rubble of her home, determined to find something, anything to ease the pain. >> it's the tile. i had tiles.

>> reporter: her determination was contagious. >> i think i found something. over here. >> reporter: one small memory. from a life blown apart by a terrible storm. michelle miller, cbs news, breezy point, new york. >> and coming up after your local news on cbs this morning more on the recovery from hurricane sandy. we'll have live updates from the hardest hit areas. plus the high demand for gas in the region as drivers wait for hours to fill up. we'll hit the presidential campaign trail with less than a week until election day and hear from former florida governor jeb bush. that and more a little later on cbs this morning. for now that will do it for the morning news on this thursday. as always i appreciate you watching.

i'm terrell brown in new york. take care, everybody. have a great day. take care, everybody. where others fail, droid powers through.

introducing the new droid razr maxx hd by motorola. now more than ever droid does. >> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald well, good morning, everybody. i think we both have voices. it's thursday, november 1. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm michelle griego. time now is just about 4:30. we are keeping an eye on the storm this